9. The planet and sustainability

9. The planet and sustainability. By 2050 some 9.5 billion people will live on Earth - a planet undergoing significant change due to changes in climate, ocean quality, extreme weather events and availability of minerals and water. Though many are tackling these issues - the UN's sustainable development goals provide a framework for this work - the impact of these actions is not sufficient to enable us to be confident about the future of the species. Indeed, some have suggested we have now entered the era of palliative care for the human species (Scranton, Jadad and Enkin, 2017). For some, identity is connected to place, and meaning to a sense of belonging to a community - both are threatened by climate change (communities may have to move) and by extreme weather events which often lead to a loss of home, family and sense of place. More will go hungry and more will experience challenges as we adjust to a massive change in the scale of challenges faced by a larger population living on the planet.